Adults Only in Dubai: Your 6-Day, 3-Hotel Escape

Adults Only in Dubai: Your 6-Day, 3-Hotel Escape

A trip to Dubai always felt like a dream holiday – and it absolutely was, however since joining the travel business our personal travel has become a lot more affordable meaning these ‘once in a lifetime trips’ are happing a lot sooner than we ever thought, and more frequent. If you’d like more information on how you can travel smarter

Everyone who goes to Dubai seems to comes back different! Full of enthusiasm, new goals set and general excitement left us intrigued so we wanted to go and experience Dubai luxury for ourselves. We don’t get away without the children very often, but we had six whole days to explore – so we made the most of it by visting three different hotels and enjoying some of Dubai’s most iconic bougie hot spots!

We flew out from London Gatwick, leaving the UK at 10.00am. This worked out well for us, we landed in Dubai at 8pm, not too late and headed for our hotel.

Day 1: Check into our hotel ME Dubai Melia, located in the heart of Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa area. This 5* hotel was exceptional. From the moment we checked in we felt welcomed and valued. Everyone that we encountered was friendly and accommodating. Designed by Zaha Hadid, the interior and decor felt spectacular and innovative and the rooms were large and operated via an app, or buttons. Plus, waking up to a view of the Burj Khalifa was fab. Because we arrived late, we opted for room service. A full table set up was wheeled in, and the food was hot and tasty and also reasonably priced.

Day 2: Within walking distance of the Burj Khalifa, we made this our first stop. Unfortunately the fountains were undergoing maintenance but it was still stunning to see the building. We we happy with the view from the ground and decided to enjoy the views from the Sky View Observatory. Located on floor 52/53 of Address Sky View Hotel, you can ride the glass slide – a transparent tube that wraps around the tower’s exterior linking level 53 with level 52 below – for a uniquely adrenaline-pumping experience. You can also take a thrilling ride in the panoramic glass elevator to more than 219.5 metres above the ground. Walk the 46-metre glass floor, and enjoy spectacular views of the city’s fabulous skyline and shining coast. An attraction well worth doing.

The Sky View Observatory is also connected to the Dubai Mall so you can simply walk from one to the other. You’ll definitely get your steps in! Dubai Mall is huge, and has absolutely everything you can think of. My advice would be to download the app and locate any stores you really want to visit as you can easily get lost. The food outlets are plentiful, with various choices from street food, fast food and more fine dining options. Of course we headed for the famous Dubai Mall Waterfall, it is an iconic feature of the mall, representing the UAE’s history of pearl diving and the importance of water. There are so many attractions here too such as the aquarium and ice-rink. We’ll be revisiting with the children next time we visit.

At 5pm we headed to Dubai Harbour, to take a sunset yacht trip. It was 3 hours long with a DJ, swim stop, palm tour, unlimited drinks and food. The yacht was magnificent, and the crew enjoyed looking after all guests. There was a photographer on board too, and they even arrange a taxi for your post trip which made life that bit easier. A must-do trip, any time of day while in Dubai.

After we arrived back at 8pm, we made our way back to the hotel. We fancied a steak dinner, and when greeted back at Me Dubai, the receptionist was quick to point us in the right direction. They have a whole range of restaurants available but we opted for The Maine Land Brasserie. What a place, their website says ‘Widely considered the Best Steakhouse in Dubai, The MAINE Land Brasserie in Business Bay boasts an impressive selection of Grain fed and Grass fed Cuts, including some Dry Aged options, all grilled on live charcoal in our exhibition butcher grill. Carnivores can enjoy a selection of Cuts of the Day that have been carefully selected by our Grill Master.’ It was the perfect end to our evening and there’s a story to be told which I’ll write up in a separate blog post.

Andy loves Gold, so it was high priority to visit the Gold Souk. I love spices so it was convenient that the Spice Souk was in the same area. We spent a couple of hours here, exploring the gold shops which are endless. Everyone is happy to help you, you’re not judged at all and in some cases it’s an old fashioned ticketing system to be served. There’s no security anywhere, and given the value of jewellery and watches around it’s complete contrast to shopping in the UK. After purchasing some spices (and some bartering with the shop keeper) we made our way to the Royal Atlantis.

Wow – what a place. It smells gorgeous, it’s lavish and grand yet you don’t feel out of place being there. We were greeted with a complimentary bottle of prosecco, cake and fruit basket upon entering our room and it was a ‘Pretty Woman’ moment. The room was gorgeous, the view of the palm was stunning and the extra little touches during turn down service made the stay memorable. First on the list was the sunset session at Cloud 22. Our first time to really relax. We enjoyed a bottle of Whispering Angel, calamari and wagyu sliders whilst soaking up the views of the palm. The DJ kept the vibes going and it was lovely to be there from day into night.

With my persian roots we dined at Ariana’s Persian Kitchen. When staying on a half board basis you get either a 3 course meal at any restaurant or discount off an ala carte menu. The persian set menu had all of the classics that we love and grew up with so it made sense to go with that. The food was so tasty and authentic, and generous portions too! I thought it would be good but was really impressed with all of it.

Before coming to Dubai, everyone raved about the ‘Gastronomy’ buffet. Wow – you name it, it’s there. Everything freshly prepared and ready for you to enjoy. Whether you want to indulge or keep it simple it’s there for the taking. It’s also fab because it’s open until mid-day so there’s no pressure to get there early, and if you go late enough it’s more like lunch!

We don’t get to chill by the pool very often. We’re usually running around after the children so opted to spend the day at Nobu. I had emailed the hotel in advance to ask about booking sun beds and they advised it was a first come first serve basis. This is not the case. We arrived to be told that the sun loungers had all been pre booked and they only had a cabana left. As soon as they said this we thought it was going to cost an arm and a leg, but, because we were guests at the hotel it was 1000 AED, about £200 which was fully redeemable on food and drink. That seemed like a steal, so we did it. To have an air conditioned cabana, sun loungers, dining area and chill bed with full waiter service was such a treat. We literally spent the whole day there, fully indulging in the luxury lifestyle with sushi and champagne. If you’re staying at the hotel I’d highly recommend taking the upgrade deal – it was worth it!

You can’t visit Dubai without visting Aura Sky Pool. It’s 200 meters in the air and you can go full 360. I’d recommend booking early. I booked about a month in advance and they only had high tables and chairs left. Since we’d previously spent time lounging around at Cloud 22 and Nobu it wasn’t a problem however if we were not doing those things I’d have booked a day bed or lounger had it been available.

We enjoyed some cocktails, took five to do photos and spent time walking around the pool to enjoy all of the views. It does get very busy, and I found that most people congregate in the palm view area or the city skyline view. I’d recommend booking your beds in the burj al arab view/marina view so that you can enjoy people free time. When we were in these areas there were only a couple of people around. If you’re in the palm or skyline view you’d spend most of your tine looking at people trying to get the perfect picture.

The views are stunning, like nothing else, if you’re visiting I’d add it to your itinerary for sure. Look out for special events such as yoga or wellness workshops and during quieter months they offer family sessions. Something I’m hoping will be available when we return in May!

Our slot ended at 2pm so we made our way to our third hotel, W Dubai – Mina Seyahi. Another 5* option, but this time on an all inclusive basis. We knew towards the end of our holiday we’d have probably spent enough so it worked well for us. Plus, they have a range of a la carte restaurants which are included in the dining option so it made sense.

We kept the afternoon simple with a walk around the marina, and some time in the marina mall. Then headed back to the hotel for pre dinner drinks and a reservation at Bussola, an Italian restaurant on the resort. There was a lovely atmosphere in there, and we weren’t rushed so spent a good couple of hours enjoying the surroundings.

We started the day with breakfast at Ginger Moon, with views of the bay. We needed to psych ourselves up for the X Line experience at Dubai marina. It’s the worlds longest urban zip line, starting at a height of 170m. The meeting point is at the Marina Mall where you’re checked in and whisked away in a van to the destination point. When you reach the top the views are stunning, which helps calm the nerves. You’re then strapped in, and good to go. It’s a thrill seeking experience, if you’re looking for a bit of adventure but can’t quite manage a Dubai sky dive then this is for you!

After getting over the thrill of the experience we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed some time at the private beach. We carried on with the beach theme with a reservation at The Fish Beach Taverna. Our table was on the beach, and the menu was fab. We enjoyed mussels to start and seabass for my main, and of course Andy ordered a lamb kebab at the fish restaurant. It was the loveliest way to spend our last night.

And just like that, the week was over. We had pre-ordered a transfer to take us to the airport. However, taxis are so cheap and reliable I’d be inclined to do that instead next time, and leave a bit earlier. By the time we’d checked in and got to the correct departure lounge we only had 10 minutes to spare in duty free. We took the 2.45pm flight home, arriving at 7.45pm. With the time difference, tiredness hit and we arrived home around midnight.

The whole trip from start to finish was amazing!

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Are you planning a trip to Dubai?

I’m ATOL and ABTA protected, have a fab knowledge of Dubai and work with many different tour operators so I can plan the trip according to your specification. And after visiting myself, and booking for next year I have the knowledge of the areas and how long it takes to get around so can advise the best itiniary.

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Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hannah x